THE SEARCH FOR COLON STREET
While Sofia is on a spa pilgrimage, Morgan and I went out on our own. Well, not really on our own – we got a celebrity guide *whatever*Mariani (our reader in Italy) wanted us to check out what’s in the famous Colon Street, Aries suggested we gotta have dried mangoes and otap (whatever it is –we’ll find out), and since I’m “gigutom” (hungry) all the time -- we gotta try to see what’s out there. Moreover, my tan is superb so I gotta flaunt it out there.
“Can you take us to Colon Street please?” I told the cab jockey.“There is nothing there, sir.” He eagerly smiled. “You want to have some fun in the town?”
“No. We wanna see Colon Street, please.”
“Where you come from? Is this your first time in Cebu? You meet beautiful Cebuana girls already…?”
Oh shoots! I know where this conversation is going. The cab still hasn’t move an inch. Our long legs are crissed-crossed and uncomfortable in the dang taxi! Michael spoke to him in Filipino and the uber friendly cab jockey instantly changed his mood. So, way we go.
Minutes later: “This is Colon Street, sir. Nothing.” The cab jockey said looking at us through the rear view mirror. If he's a tourist ambassador -- he'll make more money. Guaranteed.
If those cars, and jeepneys, and big stores and thousands of people are “nothing” to him, I don’t know what is. “Where can we buy “otap”? I asked.“Otap? You know otap?” he seemed surprised – Michael is not a give away? Ha! “Yes, we are looking for it and some dried mangoes.” “And it must come from Colon St.” I added.
“Otap and dried mangoes “IS” everywhere. You can buy it in the airport.” Wow, a very good suggestion. *my fists; ready to fly in all direction*. “Get off!” I told Morgan and Michael.
So there we are, in the middle of a busy street that the cab jockey “claimed” to be the street we were looking for.
Colon Street is said to be the oldest street in the whole of the Philippines. It was named after Cristobal Colon (Christopher Colombus) hundreds of years ago. If this street is what that cab jockey says it is, well, it now looks like an ordinary busy street that you see in Bangkok, KL or Jakarta. Michael is not much of a help. Take that!
We took another cab and went to Arena instead. Too see 100 girls in bikini!
--Pisanu in Cebu City
8 Comments:
100 girls in bikini?! what about 50 men in thongs? anything huh?
Gracie my friend. So you didn't see anything?
What's in Arena? Girls? Wooooot! I like. I like. What about the boys? Where to find them?
Boys? At Colon Street! hahahaha!
i think it was good for sofia to have her stay spent on the spa. cebu gov't is focusing their efforts on promoting spa's and health clubs and not much on historical landmarks...
...sorry for that. i should have warned u guys. and yes otap and mangoes are also sold on malls.
I'm trying to located old photos of Colon Street for a page on Colon Street. Anyone know where I can find them?
Did you know Colon St. is named after Christopher Columbus. It traces its origins to the town plan by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the Spanish conquistador who arrived in the Philippines to establish a colony in 1565.
Colon, a bit run-down now, was the site of fashionable shops, offices and movie houses. It was once the heart of Cebu City's shopping and business activity, but in recent years much of this activity has shifted inland to uptown areas.
In 2006, the Cebu City Council proposed a plan to close parts of Colon street from vehicular traffic and convert it to a tourism zone. However, this was met with much opposition from businessmen and motorists due to concerns regarding security and parking spaces.
i was in Cebu a couple of years, i missed to visit Colon street, the oldest street in the Philippines
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